This disclosure is directed to a protective strip for attachment to the vertical siding in prefabricated housing exemplified by mobile homes. Prefab or factory assembled housing takes advantage of a number of light-weight materials and utilizes light-weight construction. Generally, it is constructed with a multiple layer wall having frame members in it which are erected with regular vertical frame members. The frame members extend between upper and lower frame members and define a support adjacent to an outer wall seam. The layers which form the structure are fabricated on top of it. In one aspect, the exterior shell normally is formed of water impervious sheet material. The sheet material is typically a selected clad vinyl, vinyl covered aluminum, particle board, hard surfaced composition sheeting such as FORMICA and similar products. All of these will be described as the outside or exposed panel which will be defined, for purposes of this disclosure, as the weather panel. In that, it must be water proof material. A more recent product which is highly desirable is the fibre-cement panel material which is provided by the James Hardie Building Products Company. Other panels include hardboard and composition sheet products sold under the brand name of MASONITE. Generally speaking, these panels are assembled with butting edges to define a seam.
With supportive framing and regular installation of the weather panels on the exterior, there is the serious likelihood of leakage along the seam between adjacent panels. These seams are vertical. The vertical seams are often exposed to rain which may fall at an angle to impinge on the side wall. Prefab buildings and mobile homes are generally constructed without an eave overhanging the wall which otherwise keeps the rain water off. As the rain impinges on the structure, a real risk is running down the side of the wall to seep into the narrow slot between adjacent weather panels. In fact, a narrow slot which is quite thin, will serve almost as a capillary, tending to draw water and permitting the water to flow to the inside region behind the seam. When water gets behind the wall, there is a serious risk of water damage which can readily be permanent.
The prefab industry (and others in mobile homes and the like) do not routinely position felt paper behind the seams. Generally, the main defense against water intrusion at the seams is caulking from the exterior to prevent water entry into the seams.
The present disclosure sets forth a system by which water can be excluded from these seams. It is possible to fill these seams from the exterior. The seams are most commonly filled from the exterior with semi-soft caulking material typically applied with a caulking gun. While that will last perhaps a few years, it often becomes brittle and readily fractures on structural shifting. Structural shifting is substantially an assured event which occurs especially with prefab buildings. For one thing, they are built at one location and moved over streets and roads to another location. When subjected to the bumps of highway traffic, shock loading occurs and there may be a fraction of an inch shift where adjacent occurs, which otherwise define a water proofed seam, will slide to and fro. In some instances, the flexing applied to the frame is torsional which may cause one panel at the top end of the seam to buckle inwardly and the same panel at the lower end of that seam to buckle outwardly. While there are many failure modes, they typically result from jarring and flexure of the frame. The same is also true even after the frame of the mobile home has been placed on anchor blocks. Normally it is towed with two or three sets of tires located at the mid-portion. This enables the remote ends to droop and hang downwardly by a fraction of an inch. Both of the opposite ends of the prefab building droop in the same way. Then. when the towing trip is over and the transportation is complete, and the devise is then installed, it often is positioned on corner located props. At that time, the tires may be deflated or even removed. The frame of the mobile home or prefab structure again is warped. Again, seams between adjacent weather panels will show evidence of shifting. An externally installed bead of caulking material is effective for just a few months or a few years, especially when the frame is bent with a move.
It is possible to seal the gap between adjacent weather panels but that it somewhat difficult with other mechanisms. Where the panels are quite thick, that can be done differently. Where relatively thin, it is somewhat more difficult to grip the panels with an external strip. To the extent that the strip is located externally, it is supported only at narrow marginal widths along the thickness of the panels. With thin panel construction, that is generally an inadequate grip. Since the grip is inadequate, it is easy for the panel protective strips to pop loose. This is true especially when the frame is twisted during transportation. Then, when the prefab building is positioned at one location, the frame may be bent, first arching in a concave and then in a convex fashion, thereby breaking or otherwise dislodging edge located protective strips.
The present disclosure is directed to an improved protective strip. It is constructed especially for prefab housing or mobile homes. It is preferably constructed in the fashion of a Tee having a central spline which is centered along the backing and the spline extends outwardly in the gap between adjacent panels. In the optimum situation, the spline is positioned at the desired location and is nailed in place by nailing the strip to adjacent frame members. This can be done so that the strip of the present disclosure is anchored. Moreover, this permits anchoring so that the wall can be assembled with a high quality seam between adjacent weather panels which does not permit water penetration. By excluding water, the life and durability of the fabricated wall is extended remarkably. Moreover, the ability to shed water notwithstanding modest shifts in position between adjacent panels enables the prefab building or mobile home to be towed more readily. The vibrations encountered during travel do not pose as great a problem.
In summary, the present disclosure sets forth a system in which a Tee shaped strip is installed between adjacent panels, positioned on the inside of the seam, thereby providing an improved water proof joint. This joint more readily excludes water and prevents entry of water. Beyond that, it excludes air leaks so that the thermal loss of heating or cooling is improved. Finally, it improves and makes more readily durable the protection to the frame members. In one embodiment, the strip of the present disclosure protects the installed frame members, typically being single or double 2.times.4s. Finally, the strip of the present disclosure assures protection and prevents unwanted water entry so that the passage of time does not harm or damage either the fabricated skin at the exterior or create rot on the interior frame. It especially protects the frame members so that they do not require water proofing materials.